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(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

F. N. KELSEY.

RAILROAD BLOCK SIGNALING APPARATUS.

No. 324,119. Patented Aug. 11, 1885 u. PETERS Pholo-Lflhognpher. wuhin m v.1;

2 SheetsSheet 2.

(No Model.)

KELSEY.

RAILROAD BLOCK SIGNALING APPARATUS.

Patented Aug. 11, 1885.

N. PETERS, Photo-Lithograph", wmin nm 15.0.

UNITED STATES PATENT FFICE.

FRANK N. KEL SEY, OF NEW'HAVEN, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- HALF TO JAMES B. RATHBURN, OF SAME PLACE.

RAILROAD BLOCK SIGNALING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 324,119, dated August 11, 1885. 1

Application filed April 13, 1885. (No model.)

paratus; and I do hereby declare the following, when taken in connection with accompanying drawings and the letters of reference marked thereon, to be a full, clear, and exact. description of the same, and which said drawings constitute part of this specification, and

. represent, in-

Figure 1, a perspective view showing a block of railroad with the signal-posts in position; Fig. 2, a vertical section through one of the principal posts at right angles to the track; Fig. 3, a vertical section through one of the auxiliary posts atright angles to the track; Fig. 4, a vertical section through the principal and auxiliary post parallel with the track, and showing the connection between stations.

This invention relates to an improvement in apparatus for operating the signals in what is commonly called block system on' railroadsthat is to say, signals arranged at certain distances from each other, and each connected with the next, so that a train passing one toward the next will present a signal at the one to remain exposed until the same train shall have passed the next signal-station, and in operating the next signal-station will open or remove the signal at the previous station, so that the engineer of an approaching train seeing the signal exposed knows that there is a train on the block between the station where the signal is so exposed and the next station, the object of the invention being a simple but positive device for actuating the signals which are exposed to view, as'well as the introduction of an auxiliary signal which shall sound an alarm to indicate that the next block is not free; and the invention consists in the construction as hereinafter described, and more particularly recited in the claims.

In Fig. 1, I illustrate a single track with two signal stations or posts, A B, represented as for the train to approach from the left toward the right. 0 represents the outside rail on which the wheel runs which is to actuate the signal. As here represented these posts are hollow, and constructed with a chamber,

D, at the top. In each side of the chamber is an opening, a, through which the signal is to be exposed. WVithin the chamber a disk, I), is hung upon a pivot, d, and so that standing as in Fig. 2 the disk is dropped, leaving the opening clear; but when the disk is raised, as indicated in broken lines, to cover the opening, then the disk will be exposed through the opening. These posts are arranged at a short distance from the rail C, and from the post to the rail a lever, E, extends, hung upon a pivot, e, the one arm extending close to the rail, and preferably provided with a T-piece, f, inclined to the right and left, as seen in Fig. 1, and so that when that arm of the lever is raised, as seen in Fig. 2, the T-piece is exposed above the rail, and so that the wheel may readily pass thereon, and in so passing onto the lever will depress that arm, as indicated in broken lines, Fig. 2. From the other arm of the lever E a connecting-rod, 9, extends upward, and is hung to the disk-arm, as at h, between the pivot and the disk, and so that as the rail end of the lever is depressed the connectingrod will be raised and correspondingly raise the disk, as indicated in broken lines, Fig. 2-. The connecting-rod is divided into two parts, as seen ill Figs. 2 and 4, the upper part being hung to the disk-arm and the lower part to the lever E, and so that as the inner arm of the lever E rises it will force both parts of the rod upward, as indicated in broken lines, Fig. 2. To hold the disk in its raised position the up per part of the connecting-rod is constructed with a shoulder, i, with which a dog, Z, will engage when in its up position, as indicated in broken lines, Fig. 4.. This dog hangs free, and is preferably a gravity-dog, so as to readily fall into engagement with tlle shoulderi when the connecting-rod is raised, and so as to hold the upper part of the connecting-rod, but leave the lower portion free to return with the lever From the dog a wire, cord, or other suitable connect-ion, m, extends downward, and is connected to a spring, at, and so that a pull upon the wire m will turn'the dog from its engagement with the shoulder, as indicated in broken lines, Fig. 4, and when so released the connecting-rod y will fall and raise the rail end of the lever upto itsnormal po sition, as seen in Fig. 2, and so that the next passing train will actuate the lever as before. One ofthese posts or signal-stations is arranged at each end of the block. The spring a, as here represented, is fixed to the post at a point, 0, above the connection with, the wire m, and extends downward below that point of connection, and from its lower end a wire, 1', runs to thenext station, and is there connected to the lever or rod, as indicated at s, Fig. 4, and so that the train, having passed one station, leaves the disk exposed to the opening in the post until it arrives at the next stat-ion, and striking the lever of that station the connecting rod 9 raised as before to present the disk of that post before the opening, and in so rising pulls upon the wire r, which pull is communicated to the dog Z, as indicated in broken lines, Fig. 41-, and will release the rod at the last station-post and permit it to drop and take thcdisk from beforetheopening,thereby showing to a train approaching the said last station that the next preceding train has passed from that block, and the dog will be held out of possible engagement with therod until the train has passed the second station, so that while the train is between the first and second it is impossible that the disk shall be held in its up or exposed position; but when the train passes from the second block and onto thethird it actuates in like manner the signal at that station and releases the rod on the second station, so that the rod and disk at the second station may drop, and in so dropping will release the dog at the first station and leave it in a condition for action when another train passes that first station. and so on from station to station, the connection from each successive station operating upon the last preceding.

The spring it serves to retract the line from the next station, which was drawn by the rising of the rod at that station, and so as to leave the dog free for the next action. A stop, t, is provided to prevent the dog from being thrown too far backward, and hold it so that whenever it is free its own gravity will cause it to fall toward the rod; but it will be understood that a spring may be applied as a well-known substitute for gravity.

The spring a may be considered as a lever hung at 0, with a spring otherwise applied say, as indicated in broken lines, Fig. 4, within the postthe reaction of which will return the line or connection when free.

At night a lantern may be introduced within the head of the post, to be exposed when the disk is down, but cut off when the disk is up, thus giving the required signal; or the disk may be of colored glass, the lantern giving sufficient light to illuminate the glass as the signal.

I provide an additional or auxiliary signal, which will indicate to the engineer whether or not the block is free, should he from any cause, as by fog or otherwise, fail to observe the principal signal. To do this I arrange near the signal-post a post, G, which supports a gong, H. \Vithinthe post G is a vertical slide, I, supported on a spring, J. From the slideI a wire or other connection, a, extends down through the post, thence to the next station, where it is connected with the rod 1 as seen in Fig. 4, so that as the rod is raised to present the signal the slide I will be correspondingly drawn downward, as indicated in broken lines, Fig. 3. The slide I carries a hammer, BL pivoted thereto, which moves up and down with the slide. Between the post G and rail a lever, N, is hung upon a fulcrum, I, one arm extending to the rail, the other into the post, and so that the arm near the rail when up, stands in the path. of the approaching wheels, and so that that end will be depressed by the wheels, as indicated in broken lines, Fig. 3, the other or post end of the lever being correspondingly raised. IVithin the post is a vertical rod, R, which extends up from the lever, and so as to be raised by that end of the lever. The upper end of this rod stands below ,the hammer, but when the slide I is in its up position it is out of the reach of the rod, so that the lever may work under the action of passing wheels, simply raising and lowering the rod as the wheels pass on and off, but without effect upon the hammer; but when the slide is depressed or drawn downward, as before described, and as indicated in broken lines, Fig. 3, then the hammer comes within the reach of the rod R, and at each vibration of the lever the rod will strike the hammer and force it upward and so as to strike the gong, and thereby give'an audible signal. When, therefore, the disk is raised on the post next beyond the gong-post, the hammer is in position to strike the gong, and will thereby indicate to the engineer that the signal is exposed, indicating to him that a train is on the next block; but if the gong does not sound, then he knows that the sig nal is down, and the next block is clear.

Each wheel of the passing train will produce a vibration of the lever and corresponding sound of the gong.

I claim- 1. Asignalpost having a chambered head provided with an opening, a, combined with a disk, I), hung within said chamber, a lever extending from said post to the rail, one arm of said lever adapted to be depressed by a wheel running upon said rail, the other arm extending into the post, a connecting-rod, g, between said lever and said disk, the said c011- necting-rod constructed in two parts, the one part attached to the said lever, the other part to the said disk, whereby the lower part may descend with the lever independent of the upper part, the said upper part constructed with a shoulder, '1', and the dog Z within said post, and adapted to engage said shoulder on the rod when the disk is raised, substantially as described.

2. In a railway block system, the combination of a post at the termination of the one block, said post constructed with a chambered ICO head and with an opening, a, from said chanr ber, a disk, I), hung within said chamber, a lever hung between said post and the rail, the rail end of the arm adapted to be depressed by a wheel on the track, a connecting-rod, g, be tween the post end of the lever and said disk, a dog adapted to engage said connecting-rod and support the disk in its raised position, a second post, G, carrying a gong, a lever hung between said second post and rail, the rail end of said lever adapted to be depressed by wheels passing on the rail and thereby raise the post end of the lever, a hammer adapted to strike said gong, the said hammer arranged in a movable support,and aconnection between said movable support and the connecting rod of the first post, substantially as described, and whereby, as said rod of the first post is raised, the hammer of the gong will be brought into action under the movement of the lever at that post, substantially as described.

3. In a block system for railroads, the combination of a series of posts distant from each other according to the extent of the blocks, each post constructed with a chambered head, with an opening therefrom in the direction in which the signal is to appear, a disk hung in each of said chambers and adapted to cover or uncover said opening, a lever hung between each of said posts and the rail, the rail end of the lever adapted to be depressed by passing wheels, connecting-rod 9 between the post end of the lever and said disk, the said connectingrod constructed in two parts, the lower part attached to the lever independent of the upper part, and the upper part hung to the diskin dependent of the lower part, but so that the upward movement of the lower part will produce corresponding vertical movement of the upper part, and the dog I, arranged to engage s..i 1 upperpart of therod wheninits raised position, with a connection between said dog of one post and the mechanism of the next post, substantially as described, and whereby, as the lever at the said next post is depressed, it will withdraw the dog of the first post and release the rod and disk.

4. In a block system, the combination of a series of posts arranged distant from each other according to the extent of the blocks, each post constructed with a chamber, with an opening made therefrom in the direction in which the signal is to appear, a disk, I), hung in each of said chambers and adapted to cover or uncover said opening, a lever hung between each of said posts and the rail, the rail end of the lever in the path of passing wheels and so'as to be depressed thereby, a connection between the post end of said lever and the disk, a dog in each post arranged to support said disk in its position of closing the opening with a connection from said dog in one post to the mechanism of the next post, an auxiliary post between the principal posts, said auxiliary post carrying a gong, a vlever between said auxiliary posts and the rail, the rail end of the lever arranged to be depressed by the passing wheels, a hammer arranged to be actuated by said lever to sound the gong, and a connection between said hammer and the mechanism of the next post, substantially as described, and whereby, when the disk is raised, said hammer is brought into engagement with the lever of its post, and relieved from such engagement when the disk is dropped, substantially as described.

5. The combination of the post G, gong H, arranged thereon, movable slide I, spring J, supporting said slide, hammer M, hung to said slide, lever N between said post and the rail, an extension from the post end of the lever toward the hammer, and a connection extending from said slide to a distant point, substantially as described, and whereby said slide may be depressed to bring the hammer within the action of said lever.

' FRANK N. KELSEY.

Witnesses:

J os. C. EARLE, J. H. SHUMWAY. 

